1905. Winter. Bengal, India. The period of British rule in India.
Following the 'divide-and-rule' policy, Lord Curzon has decided
to partition Bengal; one for Hindus and another for Muslims. The
people launch a nationalist movement - Swadeshi, appealing for
a boycott of foreign-made goods. The movement is symbolised by
public burning of foreign-made goods, mainly the British textiles.

Bimala (Swatilekha Chatterjee) is the wife of a landlord-king Nikhil
(Victor Banerjee) who has had a Western education in England and
has liberal views. She is content to live in seclusion of her inner
apartments and has no desire break the custom to explore the outside
world. Nikhil is the only man she has ever interacted with. She
met him first on their wedding day.

Nikhil wants her to come out of Purdah into the outside world.
They share a loving relationship, but he convinces her that he
will never know if she really loves him unless she has opportunity
to meet others and prefer him over other men.

At his coaxing, she begins to take lessons from an English governess,
and takes the symbolic walk down the corridor to the outside world
for the first time.

Nikhil introduces her to his radical friend Sandip (Soumitra Chatterjee).
Sandip is a charismatic nationalist leader, staying as a guest
in the palace. He is leading the boycott of foreign made goods,
but his ire seems to be directed against traders who sell imported
goods who are mostly Muslims.

Sandip overwhelms Bimala. He is a contrast to her quiet, reasonable
and passive husband. Sandip is also a Parashite, borrowing money
from Nikhil to sustain his lavish life style while leading the
Swadeshi movement.

Soon it becomes apparent to Nikhil that the two of them are in
love. Bimala even takes her husband's money to finance Sandip's
taste for the first-class travel. And all this time Nikhil stands-by,
letting Sandip stay in his palace. He does nothing even though
he is opposed to Sandip's ideas, being aware that the traders in
foreign goods are mostly poor Muslims and the boycott will further
divide the two communities... For, Bimala has to find out the duplicity
of Sandip's motives and behaviour by herself.

Ghare-Baire is adapted from a Rabindranath Tagore novel by the
same title. The novel is based on Tagore's own experiences as a
Swadeshi leader. During this period, Tagore composed many songs
for the cause. Sandip sings one such song in the film.Central to
the film is the changing character of Bimala. She moves from total
seclusion to acting recklessly with courage. Like in Charulata (The
Lonely Wife, 1964), Ray explores the emergence of the modern woman
by moving away from the traditional expectations.

In comparison with Charulata, though, Ghare-Baire lacks the cinematic
poetry. It is very verbal instead. And yet these lengthy scenes
of conversations generate a spark.

Sandip, the radical leader, is played by Soumitra
Chatterjee, a Ray regular, and the husband Nikhil played by
Victor Banerjee (Prime Minister in Ray's Satranj Ke Khilari; Dr.
Aziz in David Lean's "A Passage to India. ").

What others say...

... the main characters talk, and the camera just stays on them and
waits until they finish, yet these conversations in golden light
and shadows have their own kind of voltage."
- Pauline Kael